| WINNER | DEFEATED | DATE | SITE | Orville Brown | *note 1* | ?/1940 | N/A |
| Sonny Myers | Orville Brown | 11/3/47 | Des Moines, IA |
| Orville Brown (2) *note 2* | Sonny Myers | 4/5/48 | New York, NY |
| Lou Thesz | *note 3* | 11/27/49 | St. Louis, MO |
| Whipper Billy Watson *note 4* | Lou Thesz | 3/15/56 | Toronto, ON |
| Lou Thesz (2) | Whipper Billy Watson | 11/9/56 | St. Louis, MO |
| Edouard Carpentier *note 5* | Lou Thesz | 6/14/57 | Chicago, IL |
| Lou Thesz (3) *note 6* | Edouard Carpentier | 4/24/57 | Montreal, QU |
| Dick Hutton | Lou Thesz | 11/14/57 | Toronto, ON |
| Pat O'Connor | Dick Hutton | 1/9/59 | St. Louis, MO |
| Buddy Rogers | Pat O'Connor | 6/30/61 | Chicago, IL |
| Bobo Brazil *note 7* | Buddy Rogers | 8/18/62 | Newark, NJ |
| Buddy Rogers (2) *note 8* | Bobo Brazil | 10/30/62 | Toledo, OH |
| Lou Thesz (3) *note 9* | Buddy Rogers | 1/24/63 | Toronto, ON |
| Gene Kiniski | Lou Thesz | 1/7/66 | St. Louis, MO |
| Dork Funk, Jr. | Gene Kiniski | 2/11/69 | Tampa, FL |
| Harley Race | Dory Funk, Jr. | 3/24/73 | Kansas City, MO |
| Jack Brisco | Harley Race | 7/20/73 | Houston, TX |
| Giant Baba | Jack Brisco | 12/2/74 | Kagoshima, JAPAN |
| Jack Brisco (2) | Biant Baba | 12/9/74 | Toyohashi, JAPAN |
| Terry Funk | Jack Brisco | 12/10/75 | Miami, FL |
| Harley Race (2) | Terry Funk | 2/6/77 | Toronto, ON |
| Dusty Rhodes | Harley Race | 8/21/79 | Tampa, FL |
| Harley Race (3) | Dusty Rhodes | 8/26/79 | Orlando, FL |
| Giant Baba (2) | Harley Race | 10/31/79 | Nagoya, JAPAN |
| Harley Race (4) | Giant Baba | 11/7/79 | Amagasaki, JAPAN |
| Giant Baba (3) | Harley Race | 9/4/80 | Saga, JAPAN |
| Harley Race (5) | Giant Baba | 9/9/80 | Ohtsu, JAPAN |
| Tommy Rich | Harley Race | 4/27/81 | Augusta, GA |
| Harley Race (6) | Tommy Rich | 5/1/81 | Gainsville, GA |
| Dusty Rhodes (2) | Harley Race | 6/21/81 | Atlanta, GA |
| Ric Flair *note 10* | Dusty Rhodes | 9/17/81 | Kansas City, MO |
| Carlos Colon | N/A | 1/6/83 | San Juan, PR |
| Ric Flair (2) | N/A | 1/24/83 | Greensboro, NC |
| Harley Race (7) | Ric Flair | 6/10/83 | St. Louis, MO |
| Ric Flair (3) | Harley Race | 11/24/83 | Greensboro, NC |
| Harley Race (8) | Ric Flair | 3/21/84 | Wellington, NEW ZEALAND |
| Ric Flair (4) | Harley Race | 3/23/84 | Kallang, SINGAPORE |
| Kerry Von Erich | Ric Flair | 5/6/84 | Irving, TX |
| Ric Flair (5) *note 11* | Kerry Von Erich | 5/24/84 | Yokosuka, JAPAN |
| Dusty Rhodes (3) | Ric Flair | 7/26/86 | Greensboro, NC |
| Ric Flair (6) | Dusty Rhodes | 8/7/86 | St. Louis, MO |
| Ronnie Garvin | Ric Flair | 9/25/87 | Detroit, MI |
| Ric Flair (7) | Ronnie Garvin | 11/26/87 | Chicago, IL |
| Ricky Steamboat | Ric Flair | 2/20/89 | Chicago, IL |
| Ric Flair (8) | Ricky Steamboat | 5/7/89 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Sting | Ric Flair | 7/7/90 | Baltimore, MD |
| Ric Flair (9) | Sting | 1/11/91 | East Rutherford, NJ |
| Tatsumi Fujinami | Ric Flair | 3/21/91 | Tokyo, JAPAN |
| Ric Flair (10) *note 12* | Tatsumi Fujinami | 5/19/91 | St. Petersburg, FL |
| Masahiro Chono | *note 13* | 8/12/92 | Tokyo, JAPAN |
| Great Muta | Masahiro Chono | 1/4/93 | Tokyo, JAPAN |
| Barry Windham | Great Muta | 2/21/93 | Ashville, NC |
| Ric Flair (11) *note 14* | Barry Windham | 7/18/93 | Biloxi, MS |
| Shane Douglas | *note 13* | 8/27/94 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Chris Candido | *note 14* | 11/19/94 | Cherry Hill, NJ |
| Dan Severn | Chris Candido | 2/24/95 | Erlanger, KY |
| Naoya Ogawa | Dan Severn | 3/14/99 | Yokohama, JAPAN |
| Gary Steele | *note 15* | 9/25/99 | Charlotte, NC |
| Naoya Ogawa (2) *note 16* | Gary Steele | 10/2/99 | Thomaston, CT |
| Mike Rapada | *note 17* | 9/19/00 | Tampa, FL |
| Sabu | Mike Rapada | 11/14/00 | Tampa, FL |
| Mike Rapada (2) | Sabu | 12/22/00 | Nashville, TN |
| Steve Corino *note 18* | Mike Rapada | 4/24/01 | Tampa, FL |
| Shin'ya Hashimoto | *note 19* | 12/15/01 | McKeesport, PA |
| Dan Severn (2) *note 20* | Shin'ya Hashimoto | 3/9/02 | Tokyo, JAPAN |
| Ken Shamrock | *note 21* | 6/19/02 | Huntsville, AL |
| Ron Killings | Ken Shamrock | 8/7/02 | Nashville, TN |
| Jeff Jarrett *note 22* | Ron Killings | 11/20/02 | Nashville, TN |
| A.J. Styles | Jeff Jarrett | 6/11/03 | Nashville, TN |
| Jeff Jarrett (2) | A. J. Styles | 10/22/03 | Nashville, TN |
| A.J. Styles (2) | Jeff Jarrett | 4/21/04 | Nashville, TN |
| Ron Killings (2) | *note 24* | 5/19/04 | Nashville, TN |
1) Recognized locally by Iowa promoter Pinkie George as "National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight champion"; said to have held the title for seven years before losing to Sonny Myers; some reports say Ronnie Etchison defeats Brown for the title in Montana in either 47 or 48.
2) Also wins Midwest Wrestling Association World Heavyweight title for the 5th time, defeating Bobby Bruns on 05/04/48 in Kansas City, KS; in 07/48, Pinkie George founds the current version of National Wrestling Alliance in Waterloo, IA with 5 other promoters and recognizes Brown as the first NWA World champion.
3) Unifies following titles to become the Undisputed World Heavyweight champion :
National Wrestling Association World Heavyweight title, having defeated Bill Longson on 07/20/48 in Indianapolis, IN
National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight title, awarded on 11/27/49 when champion Orville Brown is injured in an automobile accident on 11/01/49 before a unification match scheduled on 11/25/49 in St. Louis, MO
Also defeats American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight (Boston) champion Gorgeous George on 07/27/50 in Chicago, IL (AWA title not on line).
Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium version of the world title, defeating Baron Michele Leone on 05/21/52 in Los Angeles, CA.
4) Wins by count out.
5) Wins when Thesz cannot continue due to a back injury; recognized as World champion in Omaha and by World Wrestling Association in Los Angeles to legitimate the lineages of their world titles.
6) Defeats Carpentier by disqualification; NWA initially continues to recognize Carpentier as the champion; however, Carpentier withdraws his claim to the title when Montreal promoter Eddie Quinn leaves NWA; NWA voids all recognition of Carpentier as champion.
7) Wins when Rogers claims a groin injury; Brazil refuses the victory; however, it is announced on 09/06/62 that Brazil is the new champion because nothing has been found wrong with Rogers by the doctor.
8) Killer Kowalski defeats Rogers on 11/21/62 in Montreal, QC after Rogers' ankle is broken in first fall; Kowalski is recognized as champion in some places including Texas; Rogers defeats Kowalski on 01/21/63 in New York, NY, but Kowalski claims the match is not for the title.
9) Promoters in northeast refuse to recognize Rogers's one-fall loss to Thesz and start World Wide Wrestling Federation with Rogers as the first WWWF World Heavyweight champion; Thesz defeats Rogers in a two-out-of-three-falls rematch on 02/07/63 in Toronto, ON; defeats Kowalski on 02/01/63 in Houston, TX.
10) Wrestles to a double count-out against WWF Heavyweight champion Bob Backlund on 07/04/82 in Atlanta, GA; around 82 in DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, Flair allows himself to be pinned by Jack Veneno to avoid the riot from the audience, but the title is returned to Flair; Midnight Rider (Dusty Rhodes under mask) defeats Flair on 02/09/83 in Miami, FL but returns the belt when asked to indentify himself by NWA president Bob Geigel.
11) Wrestles to a double count-out against AWA World heavyweight champion Rick Martel on 10/02/82 in Tokyo, JAPAN.
12) Stripped on 09/08/91 when Flair signs with WWF, where he claims the "Real World Heavyweight Title"; NWA World Heavyweight Title is vacant for the first time in its history; Flair wins WWF World Heavyweight Title on 01/19/92 in Albany, NY; some reports say Lex Luger, who has won the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Title by defeating Barry Windham on 07/14/91 in Baltimore, MD, is briefly given recognition as NWA World champion by the NWA board, controlled by WCW Vice President Jim Herd; Luger is not recognized by NWA as a former champion.
13) Defeats Rick Rude in tournament final to win the vacant title.
14) Recognition dropped by NWA in 09/93 after WCW withdraws from NWA; WCW continues to recognize "WCW International" World Heavyweight title with Flair as the champion.
15) Defeats Too Cold Scorpio in tournament final but refuses the belt; ECW immediately announces their withdrawal from the NWA.
16) Defeats Tracy Smothers in tournament final.
17) Defeats Ogawa and Brian Anthony in a three way dance.
18) Vacates on 07/02/00.
19) Defeats Jerry Flynn in 8-man tournament final.
20) Title held-up after a match against Shin'ya Hashimoto on 10/13/01 in St. Petersburg, FL when Corino is unable to continue due to injury.
21) Defeats Corino and Gary Steele in a round-robin triangle match.
22) Referee gives a fast count; stripped on 05/28/02 by by unanimous vote of the NWA Board of Directors for not being able to schedule a title defense on 06/19/02 in Huntsville, AL.
23) Defeats Malice after the two become the finalists of a battle royal.
24) Defeats Sting 03/05/25 in Auckland, NEW ZEALAND to unify World Wrestling All-Stars World Heavyweight Title.
Credit: Puroresu Dojo
